Ashes 2021-22, Gabba Test: Pat Cummins joins elite list with 5-for on Test captaincy debut

By Team Newsable | First Published Dec 8, 2021, 12:48 PM IST

England was off to a jittery start to Day 1 of the 1st Ashes 2021-22 Test in Brisbane. It was shot out for 147, courtesy of a Pat Cummins five-for. Meanwhile, rain forced early stumps.

It was not the ideal start for England, as its Brisbane curse seemingly continued. On Day 1 of the opening 2021-22 Ashes Test at The Gabba in Brisbane, the visitor was shot out for 147, with pacer Pat Cummins claiming a historic fifer. As a result, he has joined an elite list while Australia awaits its batting turn.

Cummins got rid of Ben Stokes (5), followed by Haseeb Hameed (25), Ollie Robinson (0), Mark Wood (8) and Chris Woakes (21). With his five-for, he has become the first skipper to claim the same on Test captaincy debut in Ashes since 1982. England's Bob Willis was the first and the last to do so.

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Also, he is the first Aussie captain after Richie Benaud since 1962 to attain the feat. Besides, he is also the first skipper to claim the same in Australia after legendary Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble in 2008. Windies legend Courtney Walsh was the last pacer to have done so in Australia in 1997.

Winning the toss, English skipper Joe Root opted to bat in the overcast conditions. It seemingly turned out to be the wrong decision, as it lost Rory Burns (0) off the first ball of the Test from seamer Mitchell Starc, who knocked him over, while 11 runs later, pacer Josh Hazlewood got rid of Dawid Malan (6) and Root (0). At 29, it was Stokes, while 31 runs later, Hameed walked back as well.

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Nevertheless, there was a promising 52-runs partnership between Ollie Pope (35) and Jos Buttler (39) before Starc dismissed the latter at 122, while medium-pacer Cameron Green dismissed the former six runs later. Eventually, there was nothing much for the English batters to do. As Robinson and Wood fell at 122 and 144, respectively, Woakes tried to provide some fightback only to fall at 147.

Of the five bowlers utilised by the Aussies, Green happened to be the most economical of all. As the teams opted for the tea break after the innings, the pot-tea session failed to resume, with rain pelting down, while the host will have to wait until tomorrow to begin its innings.
Brief scores: England 147 (Buttler- 39; Cummins- 5/38) vs Australia.

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